Catholics know and love Our Lady of Fatima. We are familiar with the miraculous happenings of 1917 when Our Blessed Lady appeared to the three shepherd children at the Cova da Iria near Fatima, Portugal. We know the promises of … Continue reading
Category: History
Civil War Chaplain Father Clooney ‘Brave as a Lion’
And a fervent apostle (1822-1905) . Here is a clip from a letter he wrote to his brother: “I have been for the last two months very busy in preparing the men to complete their Easter duty, otherwise I would … Continue reading
The Fall of Constantinople
To Americans to whom the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 is already a hazy memory and anything before World War II ancient history, an event in 1453 would seem to be one that took place an immeasurably long time … Continue reading
15 Years in Prison for Bishop Who Rejected Sin of Schism
An example of those whom Pope Francis cited as today’s martyrs, although he survived his unspeakable torments, was Bishop Ioan Ploscaru (1911-1998). Chiesa Online: Bishop Ioan Ploscaru: To all of us, the Greek-Catholic priests and bishops, freedom was offered in exchange … Continue reading
The Birth of Christ Marked the Start of Year One, Not 4 B.C.
In a brief and simply written essay Jimmy Akin shows how one nineteenth century scholar, Emil Schürer’s, mistakes put a question mark on the exact year of Christ’s birth for over a century. I am far more skeptical about this “scholar,” than … Continue reading
‘Come, We Go for Our People’
There are probably millions of stories of personal heroism and courage during the time of the Nazi regime in Europe. We recently wrote of one heroic German Franciscan, Father Karl Goldmann, and his exploits as a German SS soldier. The … Continue reading
The Porteño Pope and That Hideous Strength
For this great Argentine [Peron] Who worked tirelessly, That there should rule in the people love and equality. — Hugo del Carril, Marcha Peronista The shadow of that hyddeous strength, sax myle and more it is of length — David … Continue reading
ND Theology Prof Publishes Book Denying Persecution of Early Christians
Here’s a clip from Candida Moss’ book: The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom “The Sunday school narrative of a church of martyrs, of Christians huddled in catacombs out of fear, meeting in secret to avoid … Continue reading
Trotskyite Turned Catholic, Thomistic Theologian Dies at 97
Before his conversion, the prolific writer, Father Benedict Ashley, was a student at the University of Chicago studying under Mortimer Adler, a Jewish Thomistic philosopher, who himself finally came into the Church at the eleventh hour, in 1999, at the … Continue reading
Father Karl Gereon Goldmann, SS, OFM
It is fascinating to contemplate the edifying life of Karl Gereon Goldmann, and to see so clearly the hand of God operating throughout it. Born in 1916, Karl was the third of seven sons of a devoutly Catholic German couple, … Continue reading
Pope May Issue Decree Shortening the Date for Conclave Start
CNA: Pope Benedict XVI will issue a motu proprio on Feb. 25, clearing the way for the College of Cardinals to choose a date in early March to begin the conclave for electing his successor. More on this here.
Father Johannes Bapst, S.J., in the Company of Jesus
Did you know that in 1850, in Maine, the first president-to-be of Boston College was beaten, tarred, and feathered by Know-Nothing thugs? He was Jesuit Father Johannes Bapst. Born in Switzerland in 1815, and ordained a priest in 1846, Father … Continue reading
Will the Next Pope Be Crowned?
The announcement of Pope Benedict XVI on February 11, 2013 that he would leave the Papacy (he could not resign it, as there is no earthly authority into whose hands he could do so; he renounced the See of St. … Continue reading
Complacent Sentries and the Sloth of Roaming Unrest
This essay is an act of thanksgiving, not only a deeply humbling acknowledgment, to two non-Catholics, James Burnham and Whittaker Chambers—both of them long-suffering, wholehearted men —who saw more clear-sightedly and more deeply into the historical reality of the 1950s and … Continue reading